When Seekers Protect
by LittleMewLugia
Summary: When Sam is fatally wounded in a battle, the AllSpark takes matters into its own hands, and in doing so, activates a piece of almost-forgotten Seeker programming.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: When Sam is fatally wounded in a battle, the AllSpark takes matters into its own hands, and in doing so, activates a piece of almost-forgotten Seeker programming. Oneshot.

Rating: M for gore and heavily-implied smuttage.

Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro/Takara and Dreamworks/Paramount. Not mine.

A/N: This is a giftfic, based on her bunny in the Livejournal TF Bunny Farm, for Sanjuno on Livejournal. This was rated M for gore, but when Seekers are involved, there's gonna be some degree of smut. Heavily-implied slash near the end.

When Seekers Protect.

The battle had moved quickly, and although Bumblebee had tried to get Sam out of the way, that plan had been foiled when the ground-based Decepticons had seen Bumblebee was trying to get out of the battle zone, and decided to stop him.

Bumblebee found himself at a disadvantage, In alt-mode he was not easily able to defend himself, but his frail organic ward was inside him. Bumblebee had to decide whether it wiser to stay as he was with Sam inside, or whether Sam would stand a better chance outside with Bumblebee fighting back in mech-form to defend him.

As another fist bounced off his roof, he made his decision. Another few blows like that would cave in his alt, with Sam still inside. He spun, opening his doors to throw Sam out, and began to transform, shouting "Run, Sam! Get to safety!"

He found himself facing Dropkick, Payload and Dead End, all more dangerous than they looked. He feinted at one, dodged another, than engaged the third in battle, hoping it was buying Sam time to run away into the streets and lose himself. Surely the slow-moving Wreckage and the small but nasty Swindle could be outfoxed by the quick and resourceful human?

He never saw what happened, too busy dealing with the trio of enemies around him, but he did hear Sam yell, a sound abruptly cut off by a thump that did not entirely drown out the sound of snapping bones and squelching flesh.

Bumblebee fired off a shot that sent Dead End sprawling, then turned to look, his optics widening and a staticky squeal escaping his vocal processor as he saw Wreckage grinning, as he lifted his big foot from the crushed mass of flesh, blood, shattered bones and clothes that had once constituted Samuel James Witwicky.

"I got him." he said in a tone comprised partly of surprise and partly of satisfaction.

Bumblebee had never before understood the meaning of the human phrase "seeing red" until that moment, and he launched himself at Wreckage, attacking with a ferocity the tank had not anticipated. Wreckage was surprised to note that Bumblebee seemed to have a strength he had never displayed before, beating him back, denting his plating and gouging his hide as he growled deep in his throat. Wreckage fell back in fear, but there was no let-up by the Autobot scout.

It was the bright flash of blue-white light that drew even the enraged, grieving scout's attention, because he recognised it as AllSpark energy. He pulled away from Wreckage, the shocked Decepticon taking the opportunity to scramble back, as Bumblebee, Swindle, Dead End, Payload and Dropkick all watched the heap of human pulp flare up like a strip of magnesium set afire.

The bright area pulsed and flickered, changed shape, grew even brighter and then faded, and the Cybertronians, Autobot and Decepticon alike, stared at it, or rather, what it had left behind.

The AllSpark had been very neat, there wasn't a trace of the organic mush left behind by Sam's messy end under Wreckage's foot. There was nothing organic in it's place at all, only a small and confused-looking blue and green sparkling, blinking blue optics as it swivelled its head around to look around at all the assembled mechs.

It clicked a bit at first, then managed to stammer out a single word.

"B-Bee?"

"_Sam?_" asked Bumblebee, Wreckage forgotten as he took a few steps towards the sparkling. Nobody noticed the three Seekers drop from the sky, land behind them and walk over to see what everybody was staring at.

"Sam?" asked the red mech Swindle. "You mean the fleshling vermin has come back as a sparkling?"

"It seems so." Dead End said in awe. "Was it just me, or was that AllSpark Energy?"

"Who cares?" asked Swindle grinning and reaching his hands out towards the sparkling, which shied away. "All it means is that it's given _me_ a chance to kill him as well!" He made a grab for the sparkling, which overbalanced, landing on its back with a shrill cry of fear and distress.

What happened next was so fast that nobody had time to move more than a step, including Bumblebee, who was moving to protect Sam.

Skywarp appeared with a bang of displaced air above Sam and Swindle, and seized the latter by the arms. Swindle let out a cry of shock as Skywarp angled up into the sky, the cry turning into a shriek and then abruptly cutting off as Skywarp, still holding Swindle, warped away again.

With a thud, and only enough application of his thrusters to stop himself from sustaining damage, Thundercracker landed between the squealing Sam and Wreckage, both arm-guns aimed at Wreckage's Spark-chamber. Although Wreckage was not the brightest of mechs, his response this time saved his life and Spark. The usually slow mech prostrated himself face-down, arms crossed above his head in a gesture of complete submission to the protective Seeker in front of him. Having changed his status from 'threat' to 'surrendered', Wreckage had put himself at Thundercracker's mercy, thus was no threat to the Sparkling. That was the only reason Thundercracker didn't fire, and moved one gun to point at Payload.

By that point, Starscream had landed to stand between the sparkling and Bumblebee, Payload, Dropkick and Dead End, who all, except the Autobot scout, took several steps back when they spotted the look on Starscream's face. The Air Commander crouched, one null-ray pointing at the group as his other hand reached out towards Sam. The sparkling watched the hand warily. As blue fingers wiggled in front of him invitingly, the re-made Sam clicked and reached out for them, and Starscream drew him closer to his side before picking him up and straightening as Skywarp reappeared in the sky and landed beside him.

Starscream looked at Skywarp, who took over from guarding the others as Starscream repositioned sparkling-Sam in his arms, clicking and cooing at him as the sparkling squeaked and whirred at the unfamiliar face. As Starscream turned him to examine him and check that he was okay, Sam caught sight of Bumblebee. His clicks and whistles took on a beseeching tone and he reached two short green arms out towards the Autobot scout. Bumblebee went to take a step towards him but stopped as Skywarp jerked one of his blaster-muzzles at him. Starscream turned the sparkling, whose cries had taken on a distressed note and tried to soothe him, as Payload asked "Where is Swindle?"

"Gone, probably to the Pit," Skywarp said, his blasters never wavering as he addressed Payload. "He will never threaten another sparkling again." The others looked at each other, knowing what that meant and registering the unspoken warning in Skywarp's reply.

"Skywarp, let me see him, let me see if he recognises me," Bumblebee said as Sam's cries notched up in volume and pitch as Starscream futilely tried to soothe him with clicks, coos and hums.

"You won't harm him?" asked Skywarp as Starscream turned his head to look at the yellow Autobot.

"I was Sam's guardian, I would _never_ harm him and I would never harm _any_ sparkling, no matter whose it was or what its Creators had done. What sort of mech do you _take_ me for?" Bumblebee asked, shocked.

Starscream nodded to Skywarp. "Let him approach," he said. Bumblebee spread his arms to show the twitchy Skywarp that he was unarmed, and slowly stepped forwards. The sparkling's little blue optics found Bumblebee's face and the cries decreased, and he stretched his arms out again. Bumblebee extended his arms and Starscream, with obvious reluctance, relinquished Sam to Bumblebee.

Sam quieted instantly as Bumblebee brought him to his face and hummed. He clicked and whistled happily, small sparkling hands touching and stroking the scout's silver features. Bumblebee held Sam to his chest, began running his engine gently, and Sam clicked rapidly in a sound indicating pleasure, than began to purr. His purr barely slowed as Starscream took Sam back and did similar, holding him against a wing and letting his engines start up.

At that moment the two guard-Seekers tensed, Thundercracker turning with both barrels raised to face the approaching Autobots, who had come over to find out what was happening, as the battle appeared to have just stopped, the Seekers having shot down to the ground mid-battle and not reappeared. It was Ratchet who took in the situation, his optics widening as he spotted the sparkling Starscream was cradling protectively. He moved forwards, put out both his arms to stop everybody else advancing any further, and said in a voice as sharp as a gunshot, "Everybody, power down and put away your weapons, _now!_"

It was said in a tone the brooked no argument and nobody disobeyed. Many of the Autobots present had never heard Ratchet speak like that before, and those who had knew that he wouldn't do so unless there as a very good reason, thus to do as he said. For a moment there was no sound save for that of weapons powering down, reconfiguring, and folding away. Ratchet did not approach, but spoke to Starscream, reaching his hands forwards slowly.

"I won't harm the sparkling, Starscream, I give you my word as an Autobot and a medic. I would, however, be interested in knowing where it came from, if you know, and would like to check it over to ensure it is healthy. It will need feeding soon, I can make up a basic formula for now, but can make more in our Base. I invite you to come with us under Protocols Four and Five of the Treaty of Iacon for the sake of the sparkling's continued health." He kept his voice low and calm, and inclined his head in a gesture of respect.

"I heard a sparkling cry and came down to defend it." Starscream explained. "I do not know where it came from but I heard Swindle threaten to kill it. We acted accordingly."

"It was-Sam was trying to-Well, Wreckage-Wreckage stepped on Sam." Bumblebee said, his voice full of emotion. "When Wreckage lifted his foot, Sam was-beyond anyone's help." The telling was obviously hard for Bumblebee, but he continued. "That is, beyond the help of all but the AllSpark. What-what was-left-lit up with AllSpark energy. When the AllSpark energy subsided, it left the sparkling behind. I believe it saved Sam by turning him into a sparkling. His colours match the clothes Sam was wearing, his hooded top and jeans."

Ratchet nodded. "As a medic, I happen to know that Seekers are all built along the same pattern, a pattern that has not changed in milennia. That includes programming that has not been activated in many vorns, programming that causes them to eliminate any perceived threat to a sparkling, and this protective programming overrides all other programming, including moral coding and constraints. A Seeker would try to kill anyone they saw as a threat to a sparkling, including a superior officer or planetary head, it wouldn't matter. No loyalty or antipathy would be involved, as long as the threat to the sparkling was removed, permanently."

The Autobots looked at each other, now Ratchet's sharp order made sense. Continuing to bear visible blades or powered-up energy weapons in front of Seekers with active sparkling-protection programming would likely have been fatal for them all.

"So…that's why Seekers were never used in an area why sparklings might have been present, and why Megatron sought to have them removed from the cities when they attacked, ostensibly to safety but in reality to be destroyed by loyal grounders?" asked Ironhide.

Ratchet nodded as Starscream's arms tightened around Sam, who squeaked in surprise. The Seeker shook as he looked at Ironhide.

"I heard rumours about that, but was told by Megatron it was just Autobot propaganda. Have you seen evidence?"

"Yes," Ironhide said. "I _have_ seen evidence that it is not just Autobot propaganda. I saw a pile of dead sparklings." His optics flickered in distress. "We became suspicious and decided to investigate. Mirage found out the truth of what was happening and alerted us. We stormed one of the facilities some of the sparklings, including two that Chromia and I were raising, had been taken to. We had hoped to save a few, but by the time we got there, they had killed all those in that particular facility. I had to pick the bodies of our two sparklings from a pile of sparkling shells in the building we stormed." His voice grew rough and pained. "None of those involved in the killing survived either once I saw what they had done. If you want proof, I can let you connect to my processors and see my memories of the event."

Starscream abruptly handed Sam to Ratchet, all three Seekers were visibly shaken by the information they had obviously only just begun to believe might be true. "Check him, and we will accept your invitation. The sparkling's needs must come before any prejudices or grudges that exist between Autobots and Decepticons." His hands fisted as Ratchet examined the now-fretful sparkling. "Megatron lied to us about the sparklings, said they had been evacuated to safety and sent offworld in a ship for their safety. If he still lived, I would kill him myself. I will see your memories, Autobot, to be certain, but your voice has the ring of truth. If Megatron has lied to us about this, what else has he lied about?"

Ratchet nodded as he finished scanning, only half an audio on what Starscream was saying. "He is perfectly healthy, but I will mix him some formula." He handed the sparkling to a nearby pair of willing hands, which turned out to belong to Bumblebee. Sparkling-Sam cooed and snuggled into the scout's warm chest happily as Starscream watched.

"We must discuss who will care for Sam when we get to your base as well," the Air Commander stated. "He will need somebody to rear him, and perhaps a better name."

Bumblebee stiffened.

"No discussion is needed, Starscream, Sam was an Autobot supporter as a human, and my ward. As his guardian, I claim the right to rear him."

Starscream's response to that was a snort through his vents and a dropping in the pitch of his engine, which was indicative to all there that Starscream had been annoyed by the scout's remark. He did, however, keep his tone civil, although his voice was slightly more shrill and had a sharp edge to it.

"Sam is a winglet." He pointed with one digit to the small delta-wings visible on the sparkling's back. "He will need to learn flight and other things no mere grounder can teach him. That makes my wing-brothers and I the logical choice to care for him. Or would you rather he go mad because he cannot fly because he does not know how to get airborne?"

Bumblebee pulled back as if slapped. Sam cried out, sensing the tension in the scout's frame.

"I have a jet-pack, and so does Cliffjumper. We can take him up, he can learn under the Base force-field, in safety."

"Being carried is no substitute for real flight. It will stave off the sky-hunger for a short time, but in the end he will still succumb over time. I must rear him if you want the best for him."

Ratchet had heard enough.

"Shut up, _both_ of you!" he bellowed. Sam squeaked and buried his face in Bumblebee's chest as both Starscream and Bumblebee stared at Ratchet with wide optics. Certain he had their full attention, Ratchet spoke again.

"Starscream, you are correct when you say that Sam must learn to use the body he is in, and you and your wing-brothers _are_ best qualified to do so." Starscream flashed Bumblebee a smug grin as the Autobot scout's optics dimmed and his doorwings sagged. However, Ratchet hadn't finished.

"However, Sam does seem to be happier curled up with Bumblebee, he probably has spark-memories of him and sees him as a big brother figure, if not a Creator-figure. No, I don't think ether of you could give him what is the best for him individually. I think that together, however you could give him the best start possible."

The grin was wiped off Starscream's face as he turned to look at Bumblebee, who was giving him an equally surprised look.

"What, bring up a sparkling, as if we were bonded, or as good as?" the Seeker asked. "Me, play happy families with a _groundling?" _The last word almost dripped scorn.

"I can't say I'm happy playing bonded with the Decepticon leader either." Bumblebee said. "On the other hand, if that is what Sam needs, _I'm_ willing to do it." He gave Starscream a challenging look. "Surely, that _is_ the most important thing?"

Starscream blinked, his feelings warring between avoiding being outdone by an upstart young Autobot, and the well-being of the sparkling. His optics looked Bumblebee up and down. The scout was not so unattractive for a groundling, and those doorwings _did_ add a certain appeal, even if they were not actually functional for flying. Additionally, Starscream had to admit a certain curiosity regarding this particular grounder, and if it was for Sam's own good…

The internal battle resolved amicably, Starscream nodded.

"Of course, it is Sam's welfare that is of utmost importance. You do realise, however, that we should spend as much time around him as possible together, so he becomes used to the both of us? I hope Protocols Four and Five are flexible enough to allow for a protracted stay at your Base. And fuel will be available at all times, for my wing-brothers and I, so we can teach Sam all the flying manoeuvres and tips we know?" he asked, more nonchalantly than he felt.

He had successfully hidden the severity of the flier's fuel shortage from the rest of the Decepticons (except Soundwave, who had agreed to keep the secret in return for being allowed to carry out his own projects) and this would also elegantly, in the short-term at least, solve that problem. He was relieved when Optimus Prime actually nodded.

"Of course, fuel will be freely available, that comes under the Treaty as a basic right," he stated. Starscream smiled and moved over to Bumblebee, stroking a finger along the glass of one doorwing before loosely clasping a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder: he felt the scout shiver at the touch, saw the wide blue optics look up at him in query, to which he responded with a very small nod. Only Ratchet noticed the exchange: he shuttered his optics and blew air silently through his vents in response.

"Then I see no problem with our arrangement, but we will still need, I think, to find an appropriate name for Sam," Starscream said, taking Sam, who had relaxed and slipped into recharge, and carefully placing him in his cockpit. Bumblebee looked concerned until Starscream turned to face him and spread his arms.

"Co-Creator-figure, would you like a lift to your Base? You would not be too heavy to carry."

"If it's no trouble, I would like that." Bumblebee said. Starscream nodded, stooping to pick up Bumblebee before turning to the other Decepticons.

"Return to our Base, tell Barricade what has happened, and clean the base up: I will see if I can negotiate terms to allow you all to come in as well." The four remaining Decepticons all transformed into their alts and rolled off.

"I would have allowed them to come in if you had asked, after all the Treaty would cover any you chose to accompany you." Optimus stated.  
"Ah, but perhaps a few days waiting will temper their rebellious sides, which is all good for me." Starscream said with a wolfish smile. With that, he took off, Bumblebee clasped securely in his arms.

"What about _me_? That sparkling will be hungry, I need to make some formula for it," Ratchet stated. Skywarp had powered down his blasters and approached Ratchet, arms spread.

"I can get us there in an astro: we may even have time for a little overload if you are up for that," he said. Ratchet gave a snort.

"Seekers!" he huffed, but he was smiling a little as he stepped into Skywarp's embrace. Skywarp smiled, and held the medic to him.

"For such a compact little mech, you certainly carry a fair amount of mass: I think getting airborne could be problematic, I shall warp us from here," the dark Seeker said.

"Cheek!" Ratchet said. "I need all my mass for redundant systems for medical work."

Skywarp's only response was a chuckle, and then both were gone in a bang of displaced air.

"I guess we should leave, I hope I won't be the only one to miss out on some interfacing." Thundercracker groused.

"I am sure you won't." Optimus said with a small smile. Thundercracker ran an appraising optic up Optimus' frame.

"If that's an offer, well, I certainly won't be kicking _you _out of my berth if you crawl in." the Seeker said, giving Optimus a saucy optic-shutter-wink. Before Optimus could reply, Thundercracker had launched himself into the sky. Optimus ignored the curious looks of the other mechs: whether he took Thundercracker up on his offer or not was none of their business.

"Okay, we're heading back to Base." he said. "Autobots, transform and roll out!"

They all did so, and all headed for the Base.


	2. Chapter 2

When Seekers Protect.

Chapter Two.

A/N: After repeated requests, the next chapter of this fic is here, as the friend whose idea this was and asked me to wait a bit has written her first chapter. It starts of from Sam's POV so may read a bit strange, but otherwise, enjoy!

_Running. He was running, and it was fear that fuelled his flight. The big silver one – Megatron, he recalled- was reaching, attacking, shouting threats. Then he was falling, crying out, the silver AllSpark tumbling too. Then the scene changed, to a yellow mech dragging itself forward, its legs gone. This one, too was reaching for him, but it did not feel threatening._

_Again the scene changed, the images fragmented and seeming to have no sequence, moving faster and faster. A human face, the hair long and lustrous, the eyes dark and worried, the skin smooth and lightly tanned, 'Mikaela' his mind supplied. Then it was replaced with almost the opposite – a pale face, male, with hair limp and lifeless. Then another female face, older, the hair shorter and redder, and then another male face, older, the hair dark where he still had it. He knew all these people, he was sure, but their names eluded him._

_Another change of scene, as a shadow towered over him, menacing red optics glinting as a cruel-looking knuckle-spiked hand reached down towards him with inimical intent. He shied back, twisting to avoid that grasp-_

And woke with a cry as he registered those same red optics looking down at him, and flailed at the spike-knuckled hands that cradled him against another unyielding but warm surface. He was confused, for more recently, this voice had spoken to him kindly, the hands had been gentle. He was confused. Was this one a friend or an enemy, his carer or a killer? Working it out would take coherent thought, but at that moment coherent thought and logic deserted him in the face of nightmare-turned-real, and he squealed in terror as he fought to escape.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Winglet-Sam had gone into recharge quite calmly, so his screech and struggles took Starscream completely by surprise. His grip around the winglet tightened instinctively as its motion threatened to tip it, but this only served to panic the youngling more.

"Sam, Sam, please calm down, it's okay, you're safe!" Starscream tried to reassure the winglet, but the sound of his voice only seemed to send it into fresh paroxysms. He saw a blur of yellow and silver move over and turned, hoping that a different pair of hands would ease the sparkling's struggles.

"Here, you take him before he hurts himself! See if he trusts you more, but be careful, he's strong for a little one!" Starscream cautioned as he tipped the writhing sparkling into Bumblebee's big blunt hands.

It was instinctive for the yellow Autobot scout to scoop the struggling form close, holding him against his chest, stroking down him with one hand and running his engine soothingly, but the instinct appeared to be the right one. Sparkling-Sam quieted, snuggling up against the warm chassis, his struggles subsiding as he looked up at Bumblebee trustingly, his faceplates switching in a few moments to a confused look. It seemed that, on some level, whatever had happened had confused winglet-Sam as much as it had the Seeker he had just been recharging in the arms of. He was still eyeing the bigger Seeker warily, but the terror that had gripped him was gone.

Starscream took a slow step forward, and then another, reaching out one hand as he did so. At this, sparkling-Sam jerked back, still nervous. Starscream turned to Ratchet, who had come out at the commotion. "What's the matter? Doesn't he remember that I flew him here? Doesn't he remember that he let me pick him up immediately after his change?"

"I can check him out with a deep scan, and I can do a copy of his memory chips and processor coding," Ratchet offered. "His enSparkment was unusual to say the least, we may find answers there." He nodded, towards where Ironhide had entered, holding data leads. "I believe you took up Ironhide's offer to verify his memories of a sparkling massacre?"

Starscream shuddered briefly, but indeed, he had accepted the Autobot Weapon's Specialist's offer, so nodded. Ratchet sat them down, connected them both up, and then took Sam from Bumblebee, connecting him up to the medbay computer. He ran a program that would copy the information on his memory chips, while Ratchet simultaneously scanned him and projected holograms to keep him still for the scan. Once the Autobot medic had finished, he handed Sam back to Bumblebee, along with a can of medical-grade energon, and began reviewing the copy of Sam's memories.

Ratchet had had half-a-dozen vague suspicions ranging over as many different theories as to Sam's reactions, but his studies narrowed it down to one likely contender. Sam's memories seemed to be fragmented, with parts missing, others vague and all jumbled up. Some fragments were crystal clear, others confused, missing bits, or even whole events that Ratchet knew Sam had experienced, and Ratchet now had a working theory on the cause of the jumbled and incomplete memory record.

Starscream, now disconnected from Ironhide and drinking a small cube of what smelt suspiciously like high-grade, wandered over to peer over his shoulder at the screens full of the code that represented Sam's memories.

"Hmm, what's that?" he asked. "Sam's memories, in data form." Ratchet explained. "It looks very disjointed, or is that just the way your computer stores data?" Starscream asked, reminding Ratchet that the Seeker was a scientist and could read basic and intermediate coding. "It _is_ disjointed and incomplete." Ratchet confirmed. "I think I know why, although much of this is speculation and conjecture, supported by circumstantial evidence and what little we do know about the AllSpark."

"Care to share your theories?" Starscream asked. "Perhaps if we work together, we can help work out this conundrum between us." Ratchet only had to give it an astrosecond's thought before nodding, a decisive movement of his head.

"We know that the AllSpark gave life to our race, one that is very different from that of the humans, who reproduce via biological material," Ratchet explained. "We also know that AllSpark energy was used during Sam's transition from dead human to live sparkling." "Yes," Starscream replied, wishing Ratchet would just get to the point.

"My theory was that as he was organic, and the AllSpark is used to mechanical life, it was not able to save all of his memories from an organic storage module to a mechanical one," Ratchet said. "It was learning 'on the job' so to speak, but by the time it worked out how to transfer them, some were already lost. As humans store their memories in a disorganised fashion as it is, what it _has_ managed to transfer is all muddled up."

"But I picked him up and cared for him _after_ his change. Why didn't he remember me?" the Seeker asked. "I assume that he did, but that among some of the fragmentary memories his sparkling mind accessed were ones of the Mission City battle," said the medic. "Sam would be at best confused with two conflicting sets of memories, at worst unable to access the good ones before panicking over the bad ones." Starscream huffed through his vents. "I suppose it makes sense," he replied sulkily.

"Now, there is a solution to this," Ratchet continued, as if Starscream hadn't said anything. "I can manually sort out the memories he has on this computer, and upload them to him, overwriting the existing memories with the newly-organised ones. He won't lose any more, but what he has will be easier to access and understand, and there will be gaps. We can help fill him in on the parts where we were present, but his earlier memories will have to be recounted to him by his human friends and family."

"Speaking of which, do his human creators know yet what has happened to him?" Starscream asked. Ratchet let out a mechanical groan as he recalled Ron and Judy, and tried to think of a way to inform them. "No they don't, at least not yet," he replied, turning to look at Bumblebee, who had finished feeding Sam and was lulling him back into recharge. "Bumblebee, can you call the Witwicky household and tell his creators that Sam is spending this night at the Base." Bumblebee whistled a quiet affirmative, and Ratchet turned back to Starscream.

"Well, it's the truth, and I think it best that we know what state his memories and processors are in – and that we try to put them in as much order as we can – before we tell them and bring them in to see him." He huffed. "As such, I will make a start now, the more I get done now, the more time I have to find the best way to tell them later." He turned back to the copy of Sam's memories, already searching for and putting in order almost everything that had happened since Sam had met the Autobots, at least most of that could be checked and referenced with his own memories or Bumblebee's .

Starscream recognised a dismissal when he saw it, and wandered over towards the refuelling station.

"Then I shall get in some fly-time and discuss teaching schedules with my wing brothers," he said. "He will have to start to learn how to fly soon, you know." There was no reply from Ratchet, who was now deeply engrossed in his task, so Starscream twitched his wings – much as a human might shrug his shoulders - and set about refuelling.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Several hours later, Ratchet had finished. Sam was still in recharge, for which Ratchet was grateful, as it meant he did not have to take another copy and search it for the most recent memories. He beckoned Bumblebee over, and hooked up his computer to the recumbent sparkling.

"Now, as I told Starscream, he won't lose any memories, these are the same memories in a more orderly format," he explained. "It turns out much of his language understanding is present, he just doesn't know how to use his vocal processor to form words, so I've put in a copy of all basic programming and automatic body mechanic function. I have given him the standard amount of self diagnostics, and I've also given him an overview of Cybertronian history, leading up to and including the current situation, it will save us explaining any of it later, and hopefully help fill in the gaps in his recent memories regarding Starscream and us. Add to that an explanation of Seeker sparkling protection programming, and the Treaty of Iacon, and that should cover most of the questions he might otherwise ask."

"Okay," said Bumblebee, and taking that as assent from Sam's currently-present guardian, Ratchet pressed a few buttons to start the transfer. "Sam has images of his parents but does not recall that they are such. He will need some more explanations from you. I trust I can leave you to fill in the gaps, the last thing we need is Sam asking who they are. Perhaps the AllSpark itself did not realise that "mother" and "father" are terms for mech and femme creator among humans. Whatever the reason for the omission, I'll leave that task to you."

"Okay," Bumblebee said, picking Sam up, who began to revive as Ratchet disconnected the cables.

The sparkling clung to Bumblebee as the latter picked him up. He unshuttered his optics, looked around with a wide, blue-opticked stare, and said "Ratchet...and...Bee? Bumblebee?" "Sam, yes, it's me and Ratchet. How are you feeling?" Bumblebee asked. Ratchet had warned Bumblebee earlier that Sam's memories of how he had got that way were intact, but that as a traumatic experience, it was best to let Sam bring it up when his processors decided to let him and not before. "Better than I should, under the circumstances," he said, telling Ratchet that Sam could talk about said experience, albeit obliquely, which was a good sign. "But where's Starscream, and the other Seekers? As I recall, they were here earlier?"

"They're having a flight and discussing teaching you how to fly," Ratchet said, although that was not what he would have guessed to be one of Sam's first questions upon waking up in control of his vocaliser and language programming. "They're gonna teach me how to fly? Cool!" Sam said. Ratchet wasn't sure if Sam was taking his change in his stride or had just not come out of the shock of it yet, but this acceptance was still good, whatever the reason, as long as he didn't go to pieces when facing his parents tomorrow. Ron and Judy were going to be upset about it no matter how gently Ratchet told them. If Sam lost it tomorrow it would make things far worse.

"Yes Sam, you have to learn to fly," Ratchet told him. "You're a type of flier called a 'Seeker': Starscream and his trine are also Seekers and without flight Seekers go insane." "Does that explain Starscream? Did he go a bit too long without flight after being sparked?" Sam asked with a cheeky grin to indicate he was joking even as Bumblebee said "Sam!" in an admonishing tone of voice. "Just kidding, but don't repeat that to him," Sam said to clarify.

"Sam, Starscream will be in to teach you sometime soon, but first Bumblebee wants to go through certain portions of your memory with you to clarify a few things that might be a bit disconcerting otherwise," Ratchet told the sparkling. "Not all your memories were saved, so Bumblebee will help you where he can, starting off with a few we think are particularly important: for example, who some of the people in your images are, and what they may expect of you."

"Okay," Sam said, and Bumblebee took that as his cue to begin, projecting an image of Judy on to the wall opposite, and next to it an image of Ron. "These are your human Creators, the femme with red hair is Judy, the mech – or 'male' in human terms – is Ron. Your term of address for Judy would be 'Mom', and you'd call Ron 'Dad', or maybe 'father'. If you look through your memories you will see you have had both happy and sad times with them as they have brought you into the world and brought you up..."

At that point Ratchet decided that Bumblebee had the situation well in hand, and decided to grab a few hours of recharge, hoping that would help him find a way to break the news to Ron and Judy. 'Hi, your son got stamped on by a Decepticon but it's okay, because he's changed into a baby Cybertronian' somehow didn't sound right. He sighed as he climbed into a recharge pod and set the timer for three human hours. However things went, tomorrow was going to be a tough day.


	3. Chapter 3

When Seekers Protect.

Chapter Three.

By the time morning came, Ratchet still didn't have a good method to tell the Witwickys. He was able to wangle a bit more time by inviting them to pop around after their midday meal - which would also give Starscream the time he'd asked for to start teaching Sam how to fly – but he had little hope that the extra time would help him find a better way to explain why their son was now a baby Cybertronian.

At least Sam's reorganised memories had made him less scared of Starscream: after securing a solemn promise, made on Starscream's Spark, that neither he nor his wing brothers would harm Sam, the sparkling had happily gone into recharge cradled in the bigger Seeker's arms.

"I will need to wake him soon, he needs to learn to fly," Starscream told the medic. "My wing brothers and I will fill our tanks, but Sam will be fine on a half-tank or so. He will not actually be using powered flight on his first lesson, so a full tank will only equal excess weight at a time when it would only hinder him."

"Well, you know where the fuelling station is, you and your wing brothers help yourselves," Ratchet said. "You fuel Sam up, you can probably guess how much fuel he'll need." Starscream nodded, and headed over to the fuel store, and was just putting fuel in the sparkling's tank when his wing brothers entered.

As Starscream gently stroked Sam's faceplates to waken him, his wing brothers filled their own tanks. As Sam unshuttered his optics and then levered himself semi-upright on Starscream's arm, the Seeker spoke to him.

"Sam? I have put fuel in your tank because we are now going to take you out and teach you how to fly." "Okay, that's great!" Sam said. His optics had brightened with anticipation, and despite his apparently nonchalant reply, he was wiggling with excitement. He was actually to learn how to fly, in this new body, to learn how to use it to soar in the atmosphere. Perhaps he could go up into the jet stream one day, experience in a most personal manner how it would – if he were going the right way – help push him along so he used less fuel and expended less energy.

"First though, Sam, I must give you a list of checks that you must go through before each and every flight. In time, doing these checks will become second nature to you, as it is to us. At first it will be something you will have to force yourself to recall, but I can only tell you that these checks are absolutely _vital_. If something is wrong, something that might cause you to crash or veer wildly off course, that might affect your ability to fly, these checks will be the easiest and least dangerous way to discover them. If discovered during the checks, whatever is wrong can be righted, without it causing you to be severely injured, or even die from a preventable incident."

Sam watched Starscream as the Air Commander and Decepticon Leader pulled a data cord from his wrist. Starscream sounded as sincere as Sam had ever heard him, almost scared, so he did not protest when Starscream, without asking, plugged the cord into a point halfway down Sam's neck. He downloaded what seemed to be a very long list, half of which Sam didn't actually understand. Just what _was_ an elevator, in flight terms, and why was it so important that its motion was unrestricted? Sufficient fuel was obvious, so was good engine health and structural integrity, but flaps, reverse thrusters, leading and trailing edges? The list of things to be checked for functionality went on, and Sam could only hope that Starscream would remember that he was so new to Seekers, and flight principles in general, that half the terms were as good as gobbledegook to him.

"Now, Sam, we'll go through the checks together, this is where you learn about all the different components of a Seeker's body, at least those that directly relate to flight. If you have any questions, please ask." Sam decided to take him at his word, so slightly hesitantly he asked "So just what are reverse thrusters?"

Starscream chuckled a little. "Many of the terms in the checks will be entirely new to you. I understand, and if you are patient, I will explain every part, term, and item, plus _why_ it is essential that each check is done. I will also explain what could go wrong and the possible and likely consequences.

However, to answer your question, the reverse thrusters are the same thrusters you use upon taking off, but as the name suggests, the force is applied in the opposite direction. They are used upon descent, along with brakes and wing spoilers, to help slow you down. If these do not function properly, or not at all, you could go flying off the end of a runway. The consequences of that can be serious enough if you are on land, but if that runway is the top of an aircraft carrier, you could end up joining Megatron at the bottom of the ocean."

Although his tone was light, Starscream's gaze was serious. "In a situation where, Primus forbid, despite your checks, something goes wrong with them, the best thing to do is lift your nose and abort your landing, alerting any nearby who might need to know – Commanding Officer, Trine, or human control towers - and find an alternative, or just try again if the situation is right, and be ready to abort again if need be. Now, Sam, the first and most obvious check is to be sure you have an adequate amount of fuel in your tank..."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

An hour later, Sam knew more than he ever though he'd need to about flight essentials, parts of his new anatomy, things that could go wrong with said parts, and their consequences. He even knew a bit about certain structures he himself did not possess that others did. For example, he was told about the trailing hook Starscream had for catching onto a wire rope deployed on aircraft carriers and sometimes land-based runways, as another slowing and stopping method for jets. Its official name was 'emergency arrestor hook' or the easier-to remember 'tailhook.' As a sparkling without an alternative (vehicle) form, he lacked this, but when he went into an adult body, he might gain an alt form which possessed one, so he needed to know about it.

"Now, Sam, my wing brothers will be taking you outside, and your first experience of flight will not be under your own power, this flight will get you used to the experience of flying through the air. We will be your propulsion, so you just need to enjoy it, without having to put the work in. Teaching you in the use of your thrusters, and how to modulate the amount of energy you need to gain a certain amount of thrust, will come later."

"Uh, okay, I guess," Sam said, although he was disappointed. He supposed he was a fool to think he could learn to fly in just one lesson. "Well, let's go then!" Starscream said, and he walked out of the building with Sam, throwing the cryptic "Skywarp, you underfly." at the darker patterned of his two wing brothers, who followed him a few paces back.

They were barely out, Sam blinking at the change of light, when Starscream transferred his grip to both hands around Sam's waist, but with Sam's back still held against Starscream's chest. Then the Seeker ignited his thrusters, pushing upwards with one foot, and seemingly seamlessly transferred from walking to flying. Judging by the engine sounds, his wing brothers had followed suit, although Sam, turning his head, could not see beyond Starscream's own spreading wings to confirm this visually. As they rose, Starscream straightened his arms, holding Sam out in front of him.

He turned his face towards the sky as Starscream angled upwards, spreading his arms, a chuckle of delight escaping his vocaliser before he could stifle it, but Starscream seemed pleased by his reaction. "You truly have a Seeker's Spark," he said. "The AllSpark energy that changed you _must_ have known to make you a winglet." He paused before asking "Can you think of any other human that loves flying so that on our world he'd probably have been a Seeker? Are you typical of your kind, ground-captive with no escape?"

"No, I wouldn't say I'm typical," he said, noticing peripherally that the dark blue Seeker whose name he did not know had soared ahead of them. He smiled, still a strange feeling in a metal, jointed face. "But I'm not the only one. My friend – so close I call him my 'bro' – short for brother - he _loves_ planes. He'd probably know anything you taught me earlier if it relates to human planes, he'd love to fly. I think if he came back as one of your – er, _our_, - kind, he'd be a plane."

"It is good to know that you are not unique amongst your former species," Starscream remarked. "I wonder how many of your pilots would have Seeker sparks, if reborn as a Cybertronian?" He paused, and Sam noted that the Seeker he'd spotted before was facing Starscream, flying at the same rate, for Starscream's own flight had leveled off and slowed. Looking down, Sam could only see cloud, except for the form of the darker wing brother –Skywarp?- flying below them. Although Sam could see his cockpit, the Seeker was in robot form, arms by his side, hands with fingers splayed, arms tensed as if waiting for something to fall from the sky to catch. This had to mean he was flying – upside down?

"Sam, do NOT engage your thrusters, you are quite safe!" was the only warning he got as Starscream, pulling his arms and hands back, Sam in said hands, then pushed him forward, releasing his grip. Sam flew unsupported and unheld through the air, with no knowledge of how to engage his thrusters.

He flailed his arms and let out a screech, but before he had finished it he felt equally strong hands catch him expertly midair, felt them stroke him, and turn him halfway so he faced out again.

"I'm Thundercracker, and Skywarp flies below. If we miss he'll catch you. If he misses, he can transport instantaneously to where you are. We have trained dozens of sparklings to fly with no deaths or even injuries. Skywarp has never had to use his special transport ability in training. We are that good," he told Sam. Then, before Sam could reply, the one holding him thrust him forwards and out, letting go, and again he was unsupported.

When Starscream caught him he was calm enough to ask "What the Hell do you think you're playing at?" "We are teaching you to fly, just as we would any sparkling," Starscream replied.

"What, throwing me with no warning?" he asked. Starscream sighed. "Sam, when you fly under your own power, there will be no waiting hands if something happens to impede your flight. However, you must not be scared of flight when under your own power, even if something goes wrong. You must be able to feel the air and keep a clear head in a bad situation. The air is your friend and you can usually find a situation that is better than others. 'Falling leaf' pattern" – and here Starscream commed an image of a leaf spiralling to the floor to land flat, followed by a plane mimicking the motion to land relatively intact – "is better than a nose-first crash. You need to know what falling in the air feels like – in order that when you feel it for real, you don't panic." With that Starscream flipped him so he was facing forwards, and threw him again.

This time he managed not to cry out, and Thundercracker gave him an encouraging nod as he caught him and expertly flipped him so he was facing Starscream again. "You're perfectly safe, relax, enjoy it," he advised before throwing him back to Starscream, who again caught him in a steady, secure grip. Starscream himself circled a bit as he turned Sam ready for the next throw, and Sam was surprised to find after being tossed back and forth between the two several times, he was starting to relax and actually enjoy the experience.

Down below, however, was a different story. A small crowd of Autobots had gathered to watch from the Base courtyard, Bumblebee amongst them. As they saw Sam being thrown back and forth, a grumble of concern ran through the assembled watchers. Bumblebee turned and set off at a run back into the Base, literally almost running into Ratchet on the way, who took in the scout's wide blue optics and hurried motion and asked "What's up, Bumblebee?"

"The Seekers are just throwing Sam around in midair! I have to go up there and stop them!" Bumblebee explained. Ratchet caught Bumblebee's arm and swung him about to face him. "Bumblebee, they are using a method that Seekers have used for millennia to train their winglets to fly. The accident rate is exceptionally low, and I've _never_ heard of a sparkling plummeting to its death. Sam is, I am certain, quite safe."

"Safe or not, I'm going up there too. Where's my jet pack?" The scout pushed past into the armoury where he found his jet pack hanging from pegs. Ironhide signed it out for him and confirmed that although it was not fully charged, it was ready to go. Bumblebee strapped it on, charged out of the base, and shot up into the sky with it, heading straight for the Seekers and their little charge, as Ratchet spotted the crowd and moved to assure them too that Sam was completely safe.

Starscream did not seem to be at all surprised when Bumblebee drew up to one side of him, in fact was so intent on catching Sam – who was by now squealing with delight – that apart from a brief nod he did not acknowledge Bumblebee's presence at all until he had Sam safely in his hands, when he said "Skywarp, stand by." He turned so he was facing the scout. "Greetings, co-Creator," he said to Bumblebee.

"What are you doing?" Bumblebee asked. "Maybe this is how you usually train your sparklings, but Sam's only just become such, and has known you as an enemy. Does he know he's safe?" "Why don't you ask him?" Starscream asked. "Why talk about him as if he's not here?" Bumblebee acknowledged the rebuke with a dimming of his optics, and looked at Sam. "Are you okay, Sam? Do you feel alright about this unorthodox training?" "Oh yes, Bee, this is great! It was scary at first but I'm quite safe, they assured me I am and they've not fumbled me once!"

"Come, Bumblebee, as you're here now, and count as one of Sam's co-Creator figures, why not join in?" Starscream asked. With that he launched the sparkling towards him, Sam whistling excitedly.

Bumblebee's Spark flickered in fear as he reached out to catch Sam, his optics spotting Skywarp flicker into being a bit below, but the precaution was unneeded: Starscream's aim was true and Bumblebee caught Sam easily. He hugged Sam, then saw Thundercracker indicating to throw Sam to him. Wondering if he was going mad, Bumblebee rotated Sam in his arms and threw him to the blue Seeker. Sam landed in Thundercracker's hands with a gurgle.

Thundercracker turned to Starscream again, but instead of throwing Sam to him straight, to Bumblebee's horror, he added a flip as he threw the sparkling up and out. Sam warbled in surprise as he flipped helm over pedes three times before Starscream caught him, but his cry didn't sound scared, although Bumblebee almost had a spark attack. At least, the scout reasoned, he had seen it, so when Starscream repeated the manoeuvre to throw Sam to Bumblebee, Bumblebee was prepared for it and was able to catch the tumbling sparkling without incident.

"Why Bumblebee, we'll make an honorary Seeker of you yet at this rate!" Starscream said. Bumblebee looked at him, startled, replaying the conversation in his head, but could find no note of mockery in the phrase. Perhaps, he mused, Starscream meant it, and as such he should take it as the compliment it was. Turning, he repeated the manoeuvre to throw Sam to Thundercracker, while Skywarp hovered midway between them all, and about twenty feet below.

To Bumblebee's relief, Starscream did not add any more new twists or moves to the throwing other than the flipping, and ten minutes later indicated that they should land. Bumblebee was relieved, for his jet pack power pack was finite, and he did not want to have to leave them due to lack of power.

As they landed, Ratchet approached. Starscream was praising Sam as he moved towards him. "Well done, Sam, you've done well today. In your next lesson I'll instruct you on igniting your thrusters and teach you how to take off and land, and a few emergency landing techniques. Hopefully you'll never need to use them, but it's best to know how to just in case."

"Well, Starscream, his first lesson seems to have worked well, but I advise you to bring Sam in so he can have a feed and perhaps a brief rest," ratchet said. He sighed and nodded to the open gates.

"We have received word that Ron and Judy Witwicky have left their house and are on their way here."


	4. Chapter 4

When Seekers Protect.

Chapter Four.

"Ron, quick, there's the turning!" Judy cried. "Where?" asked Ron. "Behind you, you just missed it you idiot!" she said. Ron blew air through his nostrils and managed to get back around.

This time he saw it: a road entrance so cunningly positioned you wouldn't have seen it unless you were looking for it, and even then blink and you'd miss it. Ron supposed it made sense: knowing about the Autobots carried an automatic gag order. He and Judy, Mikaela and Sam, and even Miles were in the know, could talk about it amongst themselves in private, but not to anyone else or even each other in a public place.

Judy remembered the two soldiers who had come to make them sign, one white and one black, both stunningly handsome, who admitted to the Witwickys that they too had already signed it in the interests of national security. After that admission, they had both signed without complaint, although Judy didn't let it stop her from flirting with both of them, much to Sam's embarrassment.

"Mum!" he had hissed. When they had gone she said

"Sam, I'm a red-blooded women with normal feelings and they were drop-dead gorgeous! Anyway, with this we have something in _common_," she had said, primping her hair a little.

"Yeah, and I'll tell you something else you all have in common!" he had retorted. "You, and them, are all _married_! So keep your hormones down next time, wouldya?"

"Do you think those two nice men will be there?" she asked Ron, who, because he was concentrating on the road answered with a grunt. He as wondering why the Autobots wanted them in person instead of telling Sam and Bumblebee, who would then relay the message. His jaw tightened as he recalled some of the stuff they had been told: Sam was mixed up in dangerous situations, and he hoped Sam wasn't badly hurt or worse.

Then the Base was ahead of them, and as somebody hidden from view registered their car as authorized and let them in, he drove forward. Once inside the gates he turned to park in one of the few visitor's parking slots, and as they got out he spotted Ratchet, who had just walked out, waving to them.

"Ah, Mr and Mrs Witwicky, would you please come with me?" the medic asked. He lowered himself to a crouch and put his hands open invitingly. When they looked at each other and then at his hands with a 'what gives?' glance, he sighed. "It would be faster and safer if I carry you. There are a lot of mechs in the Base at the moment, I don't want any accidents." The two humans looked at each other again, and then Judy put a tentative hand on his thumb, then looked back at Ron.

"That's right, just climb up, don't worry about hurting me, I'm no Ironhide but I'm tough enough" he encouraged. Judy turned back, grabbed his index finger with her other hand, tightened the grip on his thumb and climbed in with surprising agility for her age. She turned and said "Come on, Ron, don't be a wuss, it's fine!"

Grumbling under his breath, Ron repeated Judy's action with a bit more effort and a lot less grace, sprawling face-first into Ratchet's palm. The Autobot medic politely waited until Ron was in a more comfortable seated position next to Judy before standing and walking in, heading for one of the smallest conference rooms. He knew Prowl, who had recently arrived, had prepared the room for their human guests to Ratchet and Bumblebee's specifications.

He took them in, where he saw that a human-sized small table plus two overstuffed armchairs had been set up on the big conference table, and he noticed that a selection of glasses and some bottles of alcoholic beverages had been set out next to the smaller table. As Ratchet set them down, Judy's eyes lit on the selection.

"Why thank you Mr Ratchet, how very kind!" she said. "Here, Ron, they have your favourite rum and my favourite brandy, and a bucket of ice!" She poured out a glass of each and handed the rum to Ron, and sat down, urging "Come on, Ron, sit down!"

Ron looked at his rum, then at the chair and shook his head. "We haven't seen or heard from Sam since yesterday. You call us in to talk about him, and offer us alcoholic drinks, and comfortable chairs. All this is suggesting to me that whatever news you have is going to be bad. Where's Sam?" Judy looked at her husband, and at the brandy, and then looked stricken. "Yes, where is Sam? Where's my boy?" she asked, her eyes suddenly wide, unshed tears welling up and threatening to overflow.

"Please, Mr Witwicky, sit down, and I will explain everything. The situation is complicated but I can assure you that he is alive, and at the moment he is resting. However, he is different, and you need to know what happened before I take you to see him."

"Is he severely hurt? Disabled? Blinded? What's happened to my son?" Judy cried.

"He is – different, but to understand what has happened to him, I must tell you how it happened," Ratchet told her. "Please, let me explain and save any questions you may have for later.

He carefully detailed the battle for them, although he did leave out the fact that Sam had been killed by being stamped on, mentioned only that he was 'severely injured' – and then explained how he had changed into a young flier. He explained about Sam's missing and disjointed memories, and the presence of the Seekers, and that they were teaching Sam how to fly. Throughout his explanation the two humans sipped their drinks, occasionally held on to each other, and once or twice Judy had uttered a little cry. Her cheeks were now liberally coated with tear fluid, and as he watched she fumbled in her handbag for a tissue and blew her nose.

"So, he is alive, but it seems the energy from the AllSpark Cube, an energy even we've never fully understood, needed to change him in order to heal him." ratchet summarized. "As it is used to creating mechanical life on our world, we must assume it was unable to repair his organic form in time. He has lost a few memories but I can tell you that he does remember you. He's had a flying lesson today and is sleeping, but I surmise he will wake soon."

"Can – can we see him?" sniffled Judy. Ratchet briefly commed the med bay, to be told that Sam was awake by now, and nodded at Ron and Judy. He lowered his hands again and they both got in without complaint, and he took them in to see Sam.

He was walking, being held up by Bumblebee, and tottering his way across the med bay floor when they came in. "If you notice, the leg joints and mode of walking are different in his new form, so he has to learn to walk again," Ratchet explained. Bumblebee glanced over, then turned Sam back around and lifted him back on to a nearby work table. Ratchet approached, and again deposited the two Witwickys in front of their now-mechanical offspring.

"Mom? Dad?" Sam asked, and Ratchet blew a silent sigh of relief, Bumblebee had taught Sam well.

"Sam?" Judy asked, reaching her hands over to his face, for when he was seated his face was level with hers. Sam reached his arms out touched her arms, pulling her hands to here they could touch his metal cheeks.

"Mom?" he repeated, and at that moment Judy burst into tears again. Sam's response was purely instinctive, but under the circumstances, the right thing to do, He pulled her closer, holding her against him, patting and stroking her a bit awkwardly. "Don't cry, Mom, I'll be okay, I just got a few things to learn. I'm still Sam, it's okay."

Judy's tears dried up as she looked up and patted first one cheek and then one of his wing-shoulders curiously. "You're warm, warm to the touch, it's not really like touching unreactive metal," she said in surprise. Sam nuzzled her briefly, another instinctive reaction.

"Um, yeah, that surprised me with Bumblebee at first. It's nice, it makes you realise they really are alive." He nuzzled her again. "You're warm too, all nice and warm and – soft."

"Hey, son, back off, she's my wife and your mother," Ron said. Sam let go, looking as embarrassed as a robot could.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said as Judy straightened up and moved back, wiping her tear-streaked face. "How's Mojo?"

"Oh, Sam, he's absolutely fine," Judy said, as Ron approached and like Judy, bestowed curious touches to Sam's new face and body.

"Well, okay, I guess it's you, Sam, just with a different look," he said. "It'll take some getting used to, but I guess we'll have the rest of our lives for that?" His voice rose at the end turning the statement into a question.

"I guess so," Sam said, "and I guess I'll live a bit longer than usual, Bumblebee was Sparked before life –plant _or_ animal - arose on Earth, so they're pretty long lived."

"Oh Sam, please don't forget you were human once. Don't look down on us or despise us for being shorter lived, please," Judy cried. "Mom, how could you think that? I'll never do that. I can still remember what it's like to be human, and those memories won't fade."

"Well, that's a good thing, son. I know you'll be a bit big to come home now, but do you mind if your folks drop in on you and see how you're doing?" Ron asked. "We'll bring all your possessions over from your room, you can keep what you want, we can send the rest to a charity shop or something,"

At that, Judy burst into tears again. "It'll be like he's died or something!"

"But I haven't, Mom, Dad, you can come see me any time," Sam said.

"I could do with a drink, and so could you, Ron," she said. "Could you take us back to that room, Mr Ratchet, so Ron and I can talk over that brandy?" Ratchet lowered his hands, and Ron climbed in as Judy stretched up to kiss Sam on the cheek."We'll see you again later, Sam, but we're going to need a bit of time to take this in."

"Sure, Mom, that's fine," Sam said, and waved and watched as Ratchet took them out.

"Well, I think that went well, as well as we can expect," Bumblebee said, "in fact better than Ratchet was expecting, I think."

"Well, I'm still getting used to it myself," Sam admitted, "and I'm still very tired. Could I have another rest, please?" Bumblebee nodded, picked him up and put him in a recharge chamber.

At that point, Optimus and Starscream walked in, looked at where Sam was quickly going to sleep, and then Starscream asked Bumblebee "Where's Ratchet?"

"Taking Ron and Judy to a room to talk. He should be back soon." Bumblebee said. " "Good, because we may have need of his skills as a negotiator," Starscream said. "If this is going to be a long-term arrangement, we will at least need some sort of formal ceasefire."

"I would be happy to for us to hold talks to that end, and maybe build on it to attempt some sort of lasting peace." Optimus said.

"We also should discuss Sam, or rather, the presence or otherwise of the AllSpark within him." Starscream said. "More to the point, was his re-creation a last burst from it, or is it still present in him? If it is still present, can he use it, will he use it, and in what way? If so, will the division of its fruits be fair?"

"Such talks should, by necessity, include Sam," Bumblebee pointed out.

Optimus gave a small smile. "Such a three-way negotiation will present something of a challenge for even Ratchet," he commented. "However, if he manages it, if he helps brings lasting peace, I think he will for once be truly happy."

(A/N: If anyone else can think of a productive way to take this forward from here, please let me know.)


End file.
